The present invention relates to a dispensing apparatus and, more particularly, to an improved vendor for permitting vending of a single newspaper or the like per vend cycle.
It is well known to provide newspaper vending machines which permit access to a stack of newspapers upon feeding coins of sufficient value to a coin operated mechanism. Once access is gained, the purchaser may withdraw a newspaper but one must rely only upon the honor and integrity of the purchaser as assurance that no more than a single copy will be taken. Nothing physically prevents a purchaser from withdrawing extra copies of newspapers for which the purchaser has not paid and to which he is not entitled.
To overcome this difficulty, there has heretofore been known a first general type of prior art newspaper vendor which permits withdrawal of a single newspaper. Various mechanisms for this purpose have been suggested, including movement, in response to vending of a first newspaper of a blocking member into the path of subsequent newspapers for preventing withdrawal until a subsequent vending operation is made possible by insertion of the proper coin in a control mechanism.
A second general type of prior art utilizes a different principle for permitting only a single newspaper to be delivered for each operation of a coin mechanism. In vendors of this type, some sort of paper delivery mechanism is utilized to retrieve a single newspaper copy, e.g., from a stack of newspapers, and to dispense this copy to the customer. For example, a slide may be used which has a plurality of pointed members which contact the bottom newspaper whereby only it is pulled from the stack upon forward movement of the slide, when released by the coin mechanism. One difficulty inherent in this approach is that the stack is limited in size since the weight of too many newspapers above the lowermost copy which is to be vended may cause binding between copies with consequent tearing or ripping of newspapers during vending, or may create other difficulties in operation.
As will be recognized, newspapers conventionally are folded along the side and in the middle which provide increased thicknesses of the individual newspapers at the side and middle fold. Therefore, when stacked, these non-uniform thicknesses are multiplied in effect so that the newspaper stack is, in effect, skewed whereby the uppermost newspaper on the stack are slanted or at a considerable angle to the surface on which the stack is supported.
Although the first type of dispensing apparatus can hold a relatively large stack of newspapers from which the uppermost copy is to be vended, a serious difficulty arises by virtue of this skewing of the stack. This skewing can cause the uppermost newspaper not to be properly aligned for being vended. Therefore, this type of apparatus may jam or fail to properly operate or to present the newspaper in a position in which it can successively be vended. Or, if it permits the newspaper to be vended, it may cause tearing of the newspaper during vending.
Prior art newspaper vendors permitting vending of a single newspaper have typically been difficult to load.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is the provision of an improved vendor for permitting vending of a single newspaper or the like, such as another type of publication, per vend cycle.
A further object of the invention is the provision of such a vendor which provides trouble-free successive vending of newspapers in response to proper insertion of coin regardless of variations in the thickness of paper resulting from folds therein.
Another object of the invention is the provision of such a vendor which presents a newspaper to be properly vended regardless of the overall average thickness of individual newspapers, whereby different editions or newspapers having vastly different numbers of pages all may be properly vended.
A further object of the invention is the provision of such a vendor which does not damage, tear, rip or perforate papers during vending.
Another object of the invention is the provision of such a vendor which can contain a large supply of newspapers.
Another object of the invention is the provision of such a vendor which encloses such a large supply of newspapers entirely to keep the elements such as rain, snow, sleet or ice from damaging newspapers contained within the vendor.
Still another object of the invention is the provision of such a vendor which displays papers to be vended in an easily viewed and attractive manner.
A further object of the invention is the provision of such a vendor which is easily assembled and constructed of inexpensive materials, conducing to economical massproduction types of manufacture, and which has a rugged, long-lasting, relatively damage-proof construction.
A further object of the invention is the provision of such a vendor which is extremely simple to load with newspapers and which permits bulk loading of newspapers therein, even without requiring prior removal of binding wire or strapping which is conventionally applied by publishers to stacks of newspapers for distribution thereof.
A related object of the invention is the provision of such a vendor which does not require one to lean over or assume an awkward position for either loading of the newspapers therein by service personnel or for withdrawal of newspapers from the customer.
A further object of the invention is the provision of such a vendor which does not require stack alteration or reconfiguration, and which does not require alternation of copies, or other preparation of newspapers prior to their being loaded into the vendor in bulk as a stack.
Among still further objects of the invention may be noted the provision of such a vendor which is simply and easily assembled and maintained, which is easily adjusted in use for different thicknesses of newspapers, and which is reliable and fool-proof over long periods of operation.
Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinbelow.